Lagrange Points. Stable spots in space. What spacecraft work best in which places? What are some amazing ideas that could utilize these regions across the Solar System? This week, we’re going to talk about L2 and L3, the other meta-unstable spots that you can park a spacecraft at.
Thanks to gravity, there are places across the Solar System which are nicely balanced. They’re called Lagrange Points. Various spacecraft have already visited Lagrange Points, used them for some or all of their missions. Let’s explore the Lagrange Points.
Whenever I mention dark matter in anyway in the Guide to Space, or in a questions show, I get a bunch of responses that have essentially the same point. Astronomers are just speculating, why do they even think dark matter is a thing?
It’s too bad Mars is such an interesting place, because it’s actually one of the most difficult places to visit in the Solar System, especially if you want to bring along a lot of luggage. That planet is a graveyard of missions that didn’t quite make it.
Fraser gives 5 answers to the question, “why should we explore space when we have so many problems here on Earth?”
The far side of the Moon might make one of the best platforms we have for radio telescopes. One side of the Moon is completely blocked from Earth’s constantly increasing radio traffic, giving it the perfect view to the most sensitive radio signals in the Universe.
As astronomers and engineers design the next generation of giant space telescopes, they’re running up against the limits of current launch providers. To go bigger, space agencies will need to consider assembling their next-generation space telescopes… in space.
Earth is the best planet in the Universe. No matter where we go, we’ll never find a planet that’s a better home to Earth life than Earth. However, is it the best planet? More at #365DaysOfAstro
ESA’s Solar Orbiter and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will measure the Sun from every angle up close, providing detailed images and insights of our closest star, to help understand how it creates and controls the giant bubble of plasma that surrounds the entire Solar System.
Over the coming decades, more and more of our space-based infrastructure will be built in space, manufactured out of materials that were mined in space. In order to achieve that space future, engineers and mission planners will need to design and construct the technology that will make this possible. That means testing out new prototypes, technologies and methodologies for mining and space-based manufacturing.